RLM

That’s an interesting statement. There is, I think, a tendency for the hearing population to place hearing impaired in a vulnerable lighting. There’s a certain romance for them involved in that positional process, where they can be almost a “savior” in that light. Or even the “corrupter” or “educator.” This is a generalization though, and doesn’t apply to every hearing person.

Has anyone seen the movie “What the Bleep Do We Know?” with Marlee Matlin?

I thought the movie itself was interesting…a bit “out there” at times, but it certainly generated a lot of food for thought.

However, I can’t say that I was all that impressed with Marlee’s acting, or the way she was portrayed in this film.

Any thoughts?

Thanks, WAD. That whole sexuality thing is interesting to think about, isn’t it?

As for positive or authentic portrayals…it’s been a long time since I saw “Love Is Never Silent”, and it doesn’t appear to be available on DVD, but I do seem to recall it was pretty authentic, if not the most positive of movies. There have been a couple of television programs that did show Deaf people in “somewhat” positive means…Marlee Matlin did that TV program “Reasonable Doubts” where she was a Deaf assistant district attorney, I think…

But when it comes to feature films shown in movie theaters, overall I think Hollywood still has a lot to learn.

Wow, you opened my eyes about the deaf characters and their sexual relationships in various movies. I didn’t think of it!

Can anyone name a movie that demonstrated deaf characters in the most positive or authentic way? How about “Love is Never Silent”?

You nailed the name of the program I was trying to think of. It is interesting you pointed out the portrayal of sexuality for deaf characters, I have noticed that also. I have also noticed it in popular literature and that it is actually a myth for many hearing people that deaf girls are either “easy” or “innocent” or even both.

That seems to be the way of entertainment industry, generalization and stereotypes.

We can dream, and make our dreams a reality. Shane’s suggestion about copying NAACP’s tactics is very valid, and I hope NAD and us deaf take it to heart. That’s how we can do change.

Could it possibly be that you are referring to the Inspector Lynley series with Nathaniel Parker, in which that particular program was called “For the Sake of Elena?” In this program, the murder victim was a young deaf woman, and one of the suspects was indeed a deaf individual.

If in fact I am wrong, my apologies. However, I must say that I did enjoy this program, and it gave an interesting view of deafness, and in particular the struggle between the parents, who viewed deafness as a pathological condition which they never quite accepted, and the deaf daughter who was beginning to accept her Deaf identity. I also liked the way it portrayed the interaction between the Deaf characters and the police, although I wasn’t impressed with the behavior of the hearing “interpreter.” Since this was a BBC production, I don’t know if the deaf characters actually were deaf, but judging from the signing skills and behavior, I would be inclined to say they were (not sure about the deaf murder victim herself).

Interestingly enough, the deaf victim was not portrayed as “saintly” in this program, but came across more as being…well, something of a slut (In fact, she was pregnant at the time of her murder, and there was some question as to who the father might be).

By the way, this program is available through Netflix - just type in Inspector Lynley or For the Sake of Elena.

This is the interesting thing I have seen in a lot of movies and television programs - they way they portray the sexuality of deaf characters. Remember Johnny Belinda? While the deaf character was played by a hearing actress (Jane Wyman), one of the central themes of the movie is the fact that Belinda becomes pregnant. Granted, it was a case of rape, but what is interesting is how they indicated she didn’t understand about pregnancy and was considered an unfit mother, which seems to suggest that Deaf people don’t know anything about sex or child-rearing. Of course, this movie was made many years ago, but I can’t help wondering if people’s attitudes about deaf individuals has changed all that much since then.

Then we go on to other movies and television programs that do suggest there is either a lack of knowledge about sex within the Deaf Community, or else Deaf people are portrayed as possibly being sexually promiscuous and even getting pregant outside of wedlock. (The recent CSI television program comes to mind… and I also think about Marlee Matlin in “Children of a Lesser God” where she talks about having sex with hearing boys, and it being the one thing she could do better than hearing girls.)

Maybe it’s just me, but I come away from a lot of these Hollywood portrayals of Deaf people wondering if any of them are going to get it right - that the vast majority of us are just plain ordinary folks who get up in the morning, go to work, come home to spouses and children, have a pretty good understanding of the “birds and the bees,” and do know how to use birth control.

Ahhh…we can always dream, can’t we?